The Royal Oak, Stodman Street

The Royal Oak public house on Stodman Street, Newark, stood in what is now the right-hand third of Marks & Spencers.

The Royal Oak on Stodman Street, Newark.
Picture taken looking east towards the Market Place

The sketch map below shows the site now occupied by Marks & Spencer (outlined in Red) immediately to the west of St.Marks Lane. As may be seen, this originally comprised three separate premises each fronting onto Stodman Street with the Royal Oak (shaded green) being the western-most.

Rodney Cousins in his book “Newark Inns and Public Houses” has traced the existence of the Royal Oak as far back as c.1780. In his book Newark Inns & Public Houses Mr. Cousins notes that the building was mid-17th Century, but rebuilt in 1934.

“The inn”, he says, “had a 34 foot frontage, an archway entrance on the west side, with a separate entrance from St.Marks Lane”.

The annual rent was £70 and it was sold for £2,450 in 1888.

The Royal oak on Stodman Street was closed and demolished in 1962.

Sketch map showing the Royal Oak (shaded green) on Stodman Street, NewarkTo the left Stodman Street leads into the Market Place, and on the right goes towards Middlegate and Castlegate